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Laura Walker

Senior Visual Experience Engineer,

Apple, Inc.

Dr. Walker completed her BS in Chemical Engineering at MIT and PhD in Vision Science at UC Berkeley. At Berkeley, she studied with Dr. Jitendra Malik using psychophysics to validate computer vision algorithms. During her postdoctoral training with Drs. Preeti Verghese and James Coughlan at Smith-Kettlewell, she developed a computational model of eye movements and continued to apply and develop these models to predict how changing eye movements can improve vision for people different retinal diseases as a PI at SKERI. Her most recent project examined the impact of central vision loss on eye-hand coordination, with the ultimate goal to take what is learned in the laboratory and translate it into low vision rehabilitation therapies.

Publications

Journal Articles
Presentations
Conference Papers
Other Publications

Ghahghaei, S. ., & Walker, L. . (2016). The crowding factor method applied to parafoveal vision. Journal of Vision, 16(11), 7.

Tyson, T. L., Walker, L. ., Ma-Wyatt, A. ., & Fletcher, D. C. (2015). Eye-hand reference frames misalign after central field loss. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 56(7). (Original work published 2015)

Random Word Recognition Chart Helps Scotoma Assessment in Low Vision. (2015).

Tyson, T. L., Walker, L. ., Ma-Wyatt, A. ., & Fletcher, D. C. (2014). Adapting the oculomotor reference frame. Journal of Vision, 14(10). Retrieved from http://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2144536&resultClick=1 (Original work published 2014)

Fletcher, D. C., Schuchard, R. A., & Walker, L. . (2012). Patient awareness of binocular central scotoma in age-related macular degeneration. Optometry & Vision Science, 89, 1395–1398.

Walker, L. ., & Ma-Wyatt, A. . (2011). Recalibration of eye and hand reference frames in age-related macular degeneration. Journal of Vision, 11, 954–954.

Harms, R. ., & Walker, L. . (2011). Effect of task and behavioral demands on saccadic targeting. Journal of Vision, 11, 556–556.

Arnoldussen, M. ., Shusterman, M. ., Fletcher, D. C., Walker, L. ., Dang, L. ., Koruga, I. ., … Gertner, M. . (2009). Quantitative measurement of retinal structures relative to the geometric axis of the eye. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci, 50.

Dang, L. ., Walker, L. ., & Fletcher, D. C. (2009). Stability of eccentric attention. Journal of Vision, 9, 393–393.

Walker, L. . (2009). Uncertainty reduction as a theory for fixation selection. Journal of Vision, 9, 11–11.

Privitera, C. M., Walker, L. ., Carney, T. ., Klein, S. ., & Aguilar, M. . (2008). The pupil dilation response to visual detection [6806-27]. PROCEEDINGS-SPIE THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICAL ENGINEERING, 6806, 6806.

Walker, L. ., Dang, L. ., Verghese, P. ., & Fletcher, D. C. (2008). Effect of central scotoma on eye movement behavior. Journal of Vision, 8, 641–641.

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Ghahghaei, S. ., & Walker, L. . (2016). SKERI-Optos: A Graphical User Interface to Map Scotoma and PRL with the Optos OCT/SLO. (Original work published 2016)

Succar, T. ., Ghahghaei, S. ., Fletcher, D. C., & Walker, L. . (2016). Restoring Functional Stereopsis in AMD with Dichoptic Training. (Original work published 2016)

Walker, L. ., & Harms, R. . (2011). Saccadic targeting depends on both the pre-cue and task. PERCEPTION. Presented at the PERCEPTION. PION LTD 207 BRONDESBURY PARK, LONDON NW2 5JN, ENGLAND.

Privitera, C. M., Walker, L. ., Carney, T. ., Klein, S. ., & Aguilar, M. . (2008). The pupil dilation response to visual detection. Electronic Imaging 2008. Presented at the Electronic Imaging 2008. International Society for Optics and Photonics.

Oehrtman, G. T., Walker, L. ., Will, B. ., Opresko, L. ., Wiley, S. ., & Lauffenburger, D. A. (1999). Quantitative Assessment of Autocrine Cell Loops. In Tissue Engineering Methods and Protocols (pp. 143–154). Humana Press.

Ghahghaei, S. ., Succar, T. ., & Walker, L. . (2018). Patent No. 15/964,111.

Projects

Completed
Parafoveal Crowding
Crowding increases with eccentricity, and is most readily observed in the periphery. During natural, active vision however, central vision plays an important role. Measures of critical distance to estimate crowding are difficult in central vision, as these distances are small. Any overlap of flankers with the target may create an overlay masking confound. The crowding factor method avoids this issue by simultaneously modulating target size and flanker distance and using a ratio to compare crowded to uncrowded conditions. This method was developed and applied in the periphery (Petrov &…

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Inactive
State of the Science Conference On Rehabilitation Technology & Methods For a Changing Population
Date: Friday, December 4, 2015

Location: The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco CA 94115

The goal of this invitation-only conference was to identify needs for future research in rehabilitation technology, methods for the blind and visually impaired population, and those with dual sensory loss.

Program:
8:45 – 9:15 Check-in and coffee/pastries

9:15 – 9:25 Welcome

9:25 – 9:45 Keynote: Paul Schroeder (link to YouTube video)

9:45 – 10:45 Panel 1: Changing Populations. How should we change our approach to assessing and addressing visual impairments? (link to YouTube…

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Completed
SKERI-VF
Walker et al (Renninger, Psomadakis, Dang & Fletcher, 2008) suggested a novel method to estimate the monocular scotoma area from perimetry data in macular degeneration based on (i) an optic-disc based estimation of the location of the fovea and (ii) the increase in the receptive field size with eccentricity. Here, Dr Walker and I introduce a new GUI that applies this method to data from the Optos OCT/SLO.

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Completed
Impact of Eye Movements on Reach Performance
Aim 2 of Reaching with Central Field Loss

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Completed
Reaching with Central Field Loss
Parent R01

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Laura Walker

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